Beer Briefs: Benefits, Beer Blogs and Cask-Conditioned Gold Metals

It’s been a crazy couple of days – I just got back from three days at Affilite Summit East at the Seaport Hotel in wonderful Boston, Massachusetts. It was an exhausting, whirlwind trip but I met a lot of good people and learned a lot of great things. I’ll definitely be returning for Affiliate Summit 2009!

But, with everything going on over the last few days (and getting ready to start a new job tomorrow!), I’ve fallen well behind on my beer news. But I did want to share a few tidbits of news I’ve picked up. First, the fundraiser — which I’ve discussed before — Rock the Mike: The Freeman Brainefit, for Flying Dog Brewing’s brewery manager, Mike Freeman is on Saturday, August 23rd at the old Flying Dog warehouse (24th and Blake) from 7-2am.There are going to be several bands, free beer from Breckenridge, Great Divide and Flying Dog, free food and a raffle with a $20 cost at the door. All of the proceeds from this event are going to Mike and his fiancée Jennifer. As you may remember, Mike was diagnosed recently with glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, an aggressive form of brain cancer. For more on Mike’s case, visit mikesupport.com.

Secondly, back in May I wrote about the launching of Cigar City Brewing Co. by Tampa King Pin Joe Redner and his son Joey. Well now, about 3 months shy of opening, Joey and his father have started a blog and have documented a lot of the major steps along the way “which we think would be of interest to both craft beer fans and brewers”, according to Joey. To check out the blog — which includes both general beer and Cigar City-specific news — visit blog.cigarcitybeer.com.

And lastly, congratulations are in order for Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos, California. Their beer “The Angel’s Share” was named the winner of the 2008 Champion American Cask-Conditioned Beer Award at the recently concluded 2008 Great British Beer Festival by CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale). According to BeerAdvocate,

The winner was selected by CAMRA beer experts, brewers and international beer judges from forty six beers, specially imported for the Great British Beer Festival. The Festival provides a unique opportunity to try beers from around the World alongside 450 British real ales. The international ‘Bieres Sans Frontieres’ Bar includes rare lambics, wheat beers, Trappist ales, honey, fruit and spice beers as well as a giant wooden barrel of Imperial Porter from the De Molen brewery in the Netherlands.

Second place went to Mayflower Brewings’ Porter from Massachusetts and third to Cambridge Houses’ IPA from Connecticut.